Mendocino College's new Head Football Coach

Mendocino College Football has a new Head Coach this year, 29 year-old Frank Espy. Espy is a graduate of Mendocino College and has been involved with the Eagle's Football program for over six years, as both an athlete and as part of the coaching staff before taking over as head coach for this upcoming season.

Here are some questions asked of Espy about taking over the lead this year:

Are you from this area originally? "I'm actually from Vallejo. I went to Mendocino College myself. I graduated back in '06. In my last playing season back in '05 we won the Conference Championship. I'm very familiar with the area."

What is your experience with the local football programs? "I was a player for three years, and I've been part of the coaching program for 3 years; so all together I've been a part of the program for six years. I was the defense coordinator last year. The year before that I was the special team coordinator. I'm very experienced with football in the area, even the high school football because I've got a lot of guys from there."

What is your football philosophy? "For us, it's going to be identifying who we are as a team as a whole. We're not going to be the biggest, the fastest or the strongest every week. My philosophy for us is being the guys who are going to make the least amount of mistakes. We're going to play extremely hard. If another team is going to beat, they're just going to have to beat us and we're not going to allow ourselves to be an easy victory. That's what we're preaching and that's what we're going to live on. If we put ourselves in a position to win a game in the fourth quarter by not making mistakes, I think that's where every team wants to be at. "

What is going to be your offensive style?

"We're pretty high up-tempo. We're adding some things to our package. We plan to be pretty explosive, as far as snapping the ball pretty fast. What a lot of people are seeing today, as far as college ball: high-tempo, no huddle, so we'll fit right into that. No huddle at all. Once we get the call in, we're ready to go."

What is going to be your defensive style?

"It's going to be more of a gap sound defense. Create havoc for the (opposing) offense. We're going to try to off-temp the offense and get them out of their rhythm, by blitzing and doing things like that. Offensively, most teams play on a rhythm and timing. So defensively, if you're able to offset that a little bit, I think you'll have some success."

Can you explain in detail what your typical practice is like? "We've got some pretty fun practices. I'm a fairly young guy, and I like to be entertained too. So I'm out there and keeping it active. Our practices are pretty detailed in what we're doing. Each segment has a reason why we're doing it. We're working scenarios so when we get in the game, it's not the first time they've been in that situation. We work against each other off the scenarios we're going to get in the game. Also for the coaching staff. If we've never practiced it, how do we know we can even get it? We want to as the staff that we can get that because we did it in practice."

What are your coaching goals? "My long-term goals for the program are to put these kids in a position to better themselves. Football-wise and academically, so they can move on to the University level. We don't want to see guys just becoming good football players, we want them to move and also be great college players and continue their education." "For this year, we just want to be solid. Last year,we made a lot of mistakes. More than anything what I want to see is a good coached, well-played game. We'll work off of there."

What are some of your strengths as a coach?

"It honestly doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was here as a player. My biggest strength to this team is being able to relate to every player here. I was an Eagle, too. So most of the stuff they're going through, I've probably experienced myself. When a kid comes into a situation, I can tell them first-hand that they can work it out or things are going to be alright. I'm not just telling them that on good faith, I'm telling them that because I've either experienced it or I've seen it from somebody else. The guys that know me as the Head Coach know that it did work for somebody and it can work for them, too."

What are some of your weaknesses as a coach?

"Probably that I'm super competitive. I know not everything is won over-night, but I have to remind myself to be patient and make sure things are done right. When I go out there and see the team that we have, I really don't see any reason why we couldn't be successful this year."

What would you tell anyone who was interested in becoming involved with your program?

"I would tell anyone interested in getting involved that they would be getting involved with a program that cares about them as a person. They're not going to be just another number for us. A lot of other Junior College's have about 100-120 guys. My roster is about 75 guys, maxed at about 80. Beyond that, they're gonna have a great time. We try to make everything enjoyable, as far as practice goes. That doesn't mean we don't work hard, we work very hard. But practice doesn't have to be a bore or a chore. You're practicing playing a game. It should still be fun! If you're practicing something you enjoy doing, it shouldn't be a boring aspect of your life. It should still be entertaining for you." "And of course, you're going to be getting some opportunity for funding for college. Which is huge, because not everyone can afford to pay for college. When I was a kid, without football I don't know how I would have been able to pay for college. It's definitely an opportunity to continue your education.

Do you get a lot of students/players matriculating from the Ukiah High School into your program?

"We've had some great success. We definitely need to build a stronger bridge, but those guys should know that Mendocino College wants them and that they can be successful here. They're right in our back yard, so they can come work out with us, watch our practices. Even if they're going to be a Division 1 guy, there's nothing wrong with them coming to see the college practice before they go to wherever they're going so they know what they're getting themselves into."

"We were actually at the Ukiah High School the other week and talking with the head coaches and we're always at their games. We really like those guys and we would like them to join our team. This is what Mendocino is. We are Ukiah and we've got a program here that's really strong."